Melania Trump Billboards Come Down As Lawsuit Threatened: ‘A Little Bit Of English’ Didn’t Fly?
Melania Trump’s image was borrowed without her permission for use on billboards that have sprouted up in the capital of Croatia as a marketing campaign for a school. These controversial billboards have come down after the law firm hired to protect Melania’s image threatened a lawsuit.
The billboards caused some controversy when it came to their campaign of using Melania’s image as an example of success achieved after learning the English language. While the billboards weren’t derogatory in nature, the wording on the billboard could be misconstrued as mocking Melania’s English. This is not at all what the school intended, which they conveyed this in the apology letter they issued, according to the Washington Post.
Ivis Buric, who is a spokesperson for the American Institute in Croatia issued their apology statement which included, “We are very sorry that the billboards were misunderstood as something intended to mock the US first lady. It was meant to be something positive, to show her as a role model.”
Melania Trump threatens lawsuit over Croatian billboard promoting "how far you can go" by learning English: https://t.co/aJ91vX8IxJ pic.twitter.com/oTv3k4HtMX
— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 19, 2017
The billboard showed a picture of Melania Trump when she was delivering a speech at the Republican Convention. Ironically it happened to be the same speech in which she was accused of borrowing Michelle Obama’s words from a previous speech she had made, according to Refinery 29.
School spokesperson Ivis Buric apologized for the billboards and said they were meant to be positive. https://t.co/3zcfYB1NMt
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) September 20, 2017
So what is the controversy of the billboard that states, “Just Imagine How Far You Can Go With A Little Bit Of English?” Melania Trump doesn’t know just “a little bit of English,” she knows the English language very well and several other languages for that matter conveys Refinery 29. According to Fortune Magazine, the billboard is seen as mocking Melania Trump’s English skills. The mocking of her English is something that Melania endured when first being introduced to the masses as the nation’s newest first lady.
Back in January comedian Chelsea Handler, who is not a fan of Donald Trump, was asked if she’d have Melania Trump on her show. Chelsea offered a flippant answer in that interview. She said, “To talk about what? She can barely speak English?”
The lawyers who Melania hired to protect her image, are from the firm Pirc Musar & Partnerji. They “defend against her likeness being used,” according to Fortune. Melania rocketed to fame when first stepping into the public eye as the prospective first lady of the nation while her husband was on the campaign trail.
Melania’s name and image have been used on all types of products back in her native land of Slovenia. Her image or name has been seen on everything from Christmas trees to salami. The billboards are down and an apology has been issued. Although the billboards were up for less than a week, they were a success, said Buric. The coverage wasn’t just local, it went nationwide and then international.
[Featured Image by Petr David Josek/AP Images]
